Bxc53

Jumping on as we have a TA on the Rotterdam , FLL to Rotterdam , coming up in April ‘24. Does anyone have comments on informational presentations on the sea days?

Certainly true in general, but we were on cruise a few years ago, Sapphire Princess if I recall correctly, that had a swim against the current type ‘ lap pool’

It was on Royal, but we had full coverage via wifi calling from Vancouver to Honolulu. I concur with the previous poster that regular cell service is usually good in the Alaska ports.

That would be the one... You don't deal with a 'personal' agent only, but we have found them very knowledgeable on the cruises we booked. They are also very good with follow up questions or changes/additions once booked even though you will usually get a different agent. They obviously have a very good contact database. To be fair though, we do our research and always have a specific cruise in mind, vs. "We are thinking about a Med cruise in the Spring" type thing.

To the OP: Very glad you finally got through to a good PCC! That said, if you feel the need in the future, your coming cruises could be transferred to an outside TA. The forum discourages naming, but we have used one associated with a big box store that has great hot dogs 😉. They booked our last several cruises and we had great service, easy communications and there were always additional perks.. Just another option. Enjoy Alaska!

We are long time Seattle/ Western WA residents and have cruised out of Seattle port a couple times. Coming in at 10pm, I would strongly suggest getting a nice hotel near the airport with a restaurant, then transferring to the cruise port in the morning. Bluntly, the SEA-TAC area is pretty sketchy, so avoid walking at street level. I don’t have a specific suggestion for downtown/ port area car rentals, but you might consider a transfer back to the airport and renting there. It would also simplify the pre-flight dropoff. Entertaining a 6 yo? My youngest grandchild is 13, Can’t help much there. 🙂 Enjoy your cruise!

Just discovered and read though this thread. We became aware of the $1 deal on another CC thread. We had been looking at a HAL TA next Spring, but our life situation makes long range planning sometimes difficult. We have had to forfeit two deposits in the last couple years. The $1 deal made it a no brainer to book the cruise we wanted and the Deluxe Have It All made final costs quite reasonable. We didn’t book several others to hedge the bets- not our style. Looking forward to the cruise without worry about an unexpected event costing us another $1K in lost deposit.

Fair point. We are usually on the other end, looking for an early departure. My question should have been posed as “ What is the latest RCL assigned departure time?” We will shoot for 9 or earlier .

Thanks. I had looked the Space Center excursion, but I visited a few years ago on a business trip, plus it would be $200+ one way for both of us. My Uber experience is limited and I wondered f there would be enough cars available for the two ships offloading that day. I have encountered the ‘ surge’ pricing in the past. It looks like Galveston Express is the best answer at about $120 R/T for both of us.

We are on this cruise and working on departure plans. We have a late flight (5:30 pm) out of IAH. Two questions- How late can we leave the ship and what is the cost of a RCL transfer? Thanks

Whenever the ships sail there 😎. Seriously, the weather is always a variable. We did a Vancouver to Honolulu last Oct. and had shirtsleeve weather at departure, a couple days of rain and wind enroute, then typical good Hawaii weather when approaching the islands. Unlike Caribbean circle itineraries, the CaptaIn generally won’t divert for moderate bad weather. It costs time and fuel on a straight line journey. Pick a ship with good indoor and outdoor pools..

Not making any excuses for the cruise lines, but the costs for satellite based internet on the ships is much higher than land based that the hotels use. Maybe the Starlink being deployed will help bring costs down, eventually.

We did the ‘ One person, two devices’ plan on a recent RCL cruise. I’ll assume the plans and rules are the same. It worked great for the wife and I to share with 4 devices total, but only two on line at any one time. You simply log out of one device and log in the other. WiFi calling on the phones worked fine as well, we were able to stay in contact from Vancouver to Hawaii.

Specifically , Balcony and Club Balcony Suite on the Encore. We are planning our first NCL cruise and wonder what the extra $ gets. Floor plan maps look almost identical. Thanks

I’m looking to book a cruise next fall as my first solo cruise. The DW has a schedule conflict at the time, but could possibly make it at the last minute . So, for anyone who has done this or the TA’s that hang out here, is this possible/ common/ easy to convert a solo reservation to a 2 pax in the same cabin?

Thanks folks , that helps a lot. As a solo cruiser this trip, Uber or taxi doesn’t make as much sense, $25 ish helps keep the budget for more important things, like adult beverages 😉

Thanks for that , but at risk of over sharing, my hearing is not what it used to be and I often struggle to understand on the phone. Still hoping someone can share a recent cost figure.

I’m comparison pricing a few cruises this for this Spring and can’t seem to find the LAX to Cruise port transfer pricing, without having a reservation. Anyone have current pricing to share? I am aware there are several options to get to the port, but I’m looking for the NCL transfer to benchmark.

Well, you seem to be finding several good restaurants and other attractions . My favorite places in the area are the Midway museum and up north in La Hoya, the glider port and high cliff area- great people watching and spectacular oceans views. But what I was actually referring to is the Airport to Cruise embarkment experience. Notably nicer/ easier than , say, the LA options.

Glad you are enjoying San Diego, one of my favorite cruise ports.

Enjoy your cruise! You are not missing anything good, weather wise , back home! I’m looking forward to your Jewel experiences as I’m thinking about the reposition from San Diego to YVR via Ketchikan this spring.

IMHO, the train experience is a big part of the overall adventure.

Thanks for the good info. I am a bit embarrassed that I didn’t Google hard enough initially.

Just to cherry pick one topic from this thread- Have you Captain fans tried Sailor Jerry? If not, I recommend you try a Sailor J and Coke ( no Pepsi) and report back. I’ll wait… 🙂

We are looking at our first NCL cruise next year. Past cruises have been mostly Celebrity and RCL. Wondering what the “ Free at Sea” package includes, drink wise. We usually only have 2-3 drinks/day, but do like decent brands. A typical day in warm climates might be a Vodka tonic in the afternoon, then a bourbon rocks or two in the evening. What would be some of the “ included “ brands vs premium at, I assume, extra cost. Thanks for any insights .